Rubus odoratus (Purple-flowering raspberry)

Rubus odoratus L.

Purple-flowering raspberry, flowering raspberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Rubus	Latin for “bramble” or “blackberry”
Species	odoratus	From Latin odorata, “fragrant, sweet-smelling”

About plant names...

Purple-flowering raspberry is native to eastern North America, where it inhabits moist thickets.

Plants: Purple-flowering raspberries are deciduous shrubs 3-6' (91-182 cm) high and 3-5' (91-152 cm) wide. Young branches have many fine thorns, while older woody branches do not. Instead, they have bark that peels easily.

Leaves: Large palmate leaves to 10" (25 cm) around typically have five lobes (sometimes 3 or 7), resembling maple leaves, significantly different from raspberry or blackberry leaves.

Flowers: Purplish-pink flowers are up to 1-2" (2.5-5 cm) across, with five rounded, partially overlapping pink petals and a yellow center.

Fruits: Fruits look much like raspberries, a group of closely spaced round berries, but the group is shaped more like a dome than a thimble. The attractive purple flowers, large maple-like leaves and dome-shaped berries are all good identifiers for this species.

Edibility: Berries are edible, fairly tart, with good flavor, but extremely seedy. Used for wine, and in pies, jellies, and preserves.

Online References:

Rubus odoratus on www.carolinanature.com

Rubus odoratus on www.gettyimages.com

Rubus odoratus on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Rubus odoratus on Wildflowers of the United States